NASHVILLE - State senators voted 26-1 Wednesday to compel the state attorney general's office to launch legal challenges against any would-be federal legislation mandating that individuals purchase health insurance.
The sponsor of the "Tennessee Health Freedom Act," Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mount Juliet, told colleagues the bill "would not nullify any federal law. It would simply acknowledge the right of individuals not to participate in a government-run health program."
Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, was the lone "no" vote. Five senators abstained. The bill has yet to move in the House.
More than 30 states have passed or are considering similar laws or constitutional amendments as a protest against now-stalled federal health care legislation. U.S. House and Senate versions of the federal bill mandate individuals obtain health insurance. Government assistance would be provided to those unable to afford it.
Sen. Beavers argued that if Congress really had the power to require citizens purchase health insurance, it would not be "inconceivable ... that they could mandate each of us buy a Chevrolet every year."
The American Legislative Exchange Council, comprised of conservative lawmakers from across the United States as well as private sector members, including corporations and trade groups, has proposed model legislation seeking to block any effort to impose the insurance mandate. Sen. Beavers said she picked a bill that recently passed in the Idaho legislature.